ATLANTA — Amid the headlines of gun violence in Atlanta come the wake of lives lost and the families left behind. Tiffany Smith is among those who live with that loss each day and hopes to empower and bring other grieving moms together.
In the year since Smith lost her 15-year-old son Cameron in a Thanksgiving weekend shooting near Atlantic Station, healing and helping others has fueled her purpose.
"When you lose a child, you know, you lose a part of your heart," Smith said, "And I think your heart deserves to be honored."
As a result, she's sought ways to honor Cameron and build his legacy.
"We started out with the 'Forever Cameron' experience, a youth program for young people, 13 to 17,' Smith said. "But what I've seen is there is a huge missing for moms that have experienced the loss of a child."
Turning to social media to process her grief, Smith found other mothers turning to her.
"I got so many inboxes where moms would say,' Oh, my God, I lost my son three years ago, and I can't even look at a picture.'" she said. "Moms will say, you know, all the things that they're dealing with, with the legal system, the isolation, people not really understanding it."
That experience brought the moms together, a collective Smith calls 'angel moms.'
"It's been beautiful," she said of the mothers coming together. "What we do is we provide support. We provide mental health counseling and alternative ways for moms to really connect with others and to be able to move through the stages of grief."
Letting fellow moms know they are not alone has fueled Smith, who seeks to offer connection and empowerment through the pain.
"Cameron, the gift that he gave me, is he kind of like propelled me into my purpose," she said. "And this what I love to do, to support and empower people."
The next self-care session for moms will be held on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Rosell Fann Recreation Center, 364 Cleveland Avenue, Atlanta, GA.